Education Forward Arizona’s 2022 Advocacy Priorities
Education Forward Arizona believes that there’s no better way to improve the lives of individuals and strengthen our economy than increasing educational attainment.
When individuals earn a degree or credential, they improve their earning potential and are less likely to be unemployed.
Increasing attainment also makes broader economic sense: in a study commissioned by Education Forward Arizona, we found that if Arizona was to simply meet the national average for postsecondary attainment, it would have an economic impact of over $7 billion annually.
“Today, Arizona’s attainment rate stands at 46%. If Arizona is going to reach our Achieve60AZ goal by 2030, we must take urgent action now to increase access and opportunity for our students across all ages and grade levels,” said Erin Hart, senior vice president and chief of policy and community impact.
Increasing Arizona’s attainment rate is not just a postsecondary education endeavor: it begins in the early years by ensuring students have access to quality early learning opportunities, extends into elementary school where students build their skills in literacy and math, continues building in middle and high school as students prepare for college and career and culminates in postsecondary education where students work towards a degree or credential.
“We’ve selected these priorities because they will advance education attainment with a P-20 education perspective and ensure that more Arizona students have a fair shot at success,” said Hart.
In 2022, Education Forward Arizona will champion efforts that:
- Expand access to quality early learning, with a focus on serving children who are most in need and support strategies that advance early literacy development
- Promote strategies that encourage attraction and retention of educators across the P-20 continuum
- Increase opportunities for students and adults to access and complete a postsecondary degree or credential
- Protect and increase P-20 education funding, with a focus on providing additional supports to students who are most in need
We can’t do this work without people like you who are committed to supporting students and teachers.
Education Forward Arizona is committed to keeping you informed of important topics, like the school spending cap that is jeopardizing more than $1.1 billion in school funding, and will give you opportunities to raise your voice to advocate for these issues as we head into the new legislative session.